Commenting on the BMC website, Dave Turnbull (BMC chief executive), said:
"The mountaineering world is shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Roger Payne, former BMC general secretary and former president of the British Mountain Guides. Roger was one of the UK's most enthusiastic and respected climbers with a track record of Alpine and Himalayan mountaineering stretching back to the 1980s. Our thoughts are with Roger's friends and family – in particular his wife Julie-Ann."
Roger was a well-known figure in British climbing and online tributes to him can be found at the following links:
More information on John Taylor and Steve Barber is in this BBC News Report.
The avalanche occurred at around 5am on Thursday the 12th of July, at close to 4000m on Mont Maudit and was thought to have been caused by a serac collapse.
More information on the accident is at the following links:
- The Guardian Report (with video)
- The BMC News Report
- The initial UKC News Report
© BigHell, Aug 2010
The photo above clearly shows the normal route up Mont Maudit (climbers in the lower right) and the serac danger on that slope.
Comments